Ekphrasis: Resident artist In Conversation —Jessye Wdowin-McGregor

Join artist Jessye Wdowin-McGregor in conversation with correspondences' Emma Thomson.

Jessye will reflect on her duo residency project in progress at correspondences, Ekphrasis, which she has been undertaking with acclaimed poet, writer, translator and editor Ouyang Yu.  Jessye has extended practice into sculpture as part of her project, creating a series of small bronze works. Inspired by nature encountered during her daily walks, especially shells, she has been exploring the idea of these small sculptures as tiny monuments or talismans.

A second project has involved casting her hand and then part-transforming it into delicate leaf matter - a cross-disciplinary connection back to her photographic and collage practice and site-based collaboration with Ouyang, which has reflected on Darebin Creek and Bundoora Park, the waterways, trees and places where Jessye walks, and Ouyang writes much of his poetry.

This event is part of Craft Contemporary 2023, an annual festival delivered by Craft Victoria. The focus of the conversation will be the making process, intersections between her sculpting/casting projects and her hand-made photography and collage practice and the experience of working with Ouyang and his poetry alongside her visual art practice.

About
The artist
Jessye is a Naarm (Melbourne)-based artist whose practice spans video, performance, photography, drawing, and collage. A relationship to place underpins much of her work, and she is inspired by environments that are sometimes at the periphery of attention, particularly within the urban realm. She is interested in our entanglements with other species, the thresholds between body and landscape, the human impact on the natural world, spontaneous forms of urban nature, and the elemental infrastructures that shape our surroundings. Artist website https://www.jessyewdowinmcgregor.com/

Craft Contemporary

Craft Contemporary (1–31 October) is an annual festival delivered by Craft Victoria – the largest celebration of craft and design in Victoria. The festival brings together practitioners, educators, industry, and craft lovers to explore material practice as it is today. See, touch, experience and be inspired by 150+ art experiences, including exhibitions, talks, demonstrations, workshops and open studios. You can view the rest of the program —> here.

Note:—
—1) Conversation 2-3 pm, question time 3-3:30 pm. We’d love your questions in advance! Email us at info@correspondences.work.
—2) Admission is free, but drink purchases and donations are gratefully received as this income is used to continue doing our work.

Image credits:
1) Event page - A soft spiral unfurling and an eyeful of aster, 2022, inkjet fine art archival print on Canson Rag Photographique, 46.5 x 36.9cm
2) Header image - Making in-progress / Ekphrasis, 2023 
3) Artist headshot  

All images are copyright Jessye Wdowin-McGregor.